Central Railway stations get solarised as railways aims to save big on energy

The Central Railway has now installed grid-connected solar plants, powering several railway stations, hospitals and premises, including amenities like water coolers among others.

The Mumbai division had earlier installed solar panels at CSMT station building, Kalyan railway school, Kalyan railway hospital, Kurla and Sanpada car sheds, Lonavala, Khandala, Dockyard Road, Asangaon, Roha, Apta, Pen and Chembur railway stations. The solar panels generate power of more than 125 kilowatts peak (kWp).

"Central Railway stations of Titwala, Kasara and Igatpuri, including a railway hospital, and its adjoining railway premises will now also run on clean and green energy by harnessing solar power for their operations. This does not just include station lighting, but also amenities like solar water coolers etc. The rooftop grid-connected solar panels of 5 kWp are commissioned at the sub-divisional hospital at Igatpuri too. The annual energy generation of this solar plant is 6,000 kilowatt-hour (kWh) and the annual savings will be approximately R45,000," Central Railway chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said.

"Rooftop grid-connected solar plants of 40 Kwp capacity each at Igatpuri and Kasara station platforms were also commissioned recently. The annual energy generation of this rooftop grid-connected solar plant is 48,000 kwh each and the annual savings will be about R7.2 lakh," he said.

Another official said, "To make use of the track-side land and the various other vacant premises, Central Railway has identified vacant trackside stretches as well as the unutilised land parcels for setting up the land-based solar power plants aggregating a capacity of 109 mWp (mega watt peak) used actually for train running purposes. These solar power plants are expected to generate 143 million units of energy per year and will yield a saving of R43 crore in energy bill per annum."

Western Railway officials said they were also tapping sun energy. "So far 89 stations are equipped with 6.551 MW rooftop solar panels over WR. These solar panels are installed on rooftops of railway stations, on station buildings and their offices to harness the energy from the sun," Western Railway chief spokesperson Sumit Thakur said.